Generally, laundry machines include a pulsator-type washing machine whose drum is mounted vertically, a drum washing machine whose drum is mounted horizontally, a washing-and-drying machine having a drying function, and a clothes drying machine that performs only a laundry drying operation.
Among the above laundry machines, the pulsator-type washing machine, the drum washing machine, and the washing-and-drying machine normally perform a washing-related operation using washing water.
Especially, a laundry machine having a steam generating apparatus that is capable of supplying steam during a washing operation has been disclosed recently.
In the conventional laundry machine having the above-described steam generating apparatus, however, the steam supplied from the steam generating apparatus is used only to assist the washing operation. Specifically, a steam washing operation, in which laundry is washed only using steam, is not performed without a rinsing operation or a spin-drying operation.
Also, consumers do not utilize the function of the steam generating apparatus due to increase in power consumption necessary to operate the steam generating apparatus.
For this reason, there is a necessity to positively use the function of the steam generating apparatus in the laundry machine having the steam generating apparatus. On the other hand, there is a necessity to apply the steam generating apparatus to the drying machine as well as the washing machine that washes laundry using washing water such that the drying machine has various functions.